AAPM’s TG-51 protocol for clinical reference dosimetry of high-energy photon and electron beams contains many details to which we should pay close attention when performing necessary measurements for the calibration of high-energy beams. One such measurement is calculating the polarity correction factor (Ppol) for ionization chambers used in electron beam dosimetry. Since polarity effects vary with beam quality and other conditions (such as cable position), one must correct for these effects by making measurements each time clinical reference dosimetry is performed. To correct an ion chamber’s raw reading for polarity effects it is necessary to take readings with both polarities applied and tabulate Ppol by the following equation: Read more

Have you ever seen radioactive material labeled with the units Roentgen – Equivalent – Beta rays/second (reb/sec)? A medical physicist recently told me he came across these units on a Strontium-90 source at his new job while he was taking inventory of radioactive materials. This particular source was labeled with its model and serial number, as usual, but its radioactivity (the strength of the source) was given in Roentgen – Equivalent – Beta rays/second (reb/sec) instead of millicuries (mCi). Since the convention is to use miC when recording source strength in the inventory log book, he was wondering how to convert these units to mCi. Since I had not worked with Sr-90, I didn’t know the answer myself. I spoke to a couple of experienced physicists I know, and surprisingly no one had the answer. Like any good scientist, this peaked my curiosity…so I did some research. I am guessing many physicists may not know the answer, so I am sharing the fruits of my labor and the result of my due diligence in this post. This is for those who, like me, are curious and are interested to learn: Read more